Joe retired from the US Postal Service in 2010, after thirty-six years. Not long after, he became the proofreader and jack of all trades for author Connie Suttle, a long-time, very close friend.

With Connie as his inspiration, he decided to write a book of his own, Malefactor. The manuscript languished in a dusty computer folder for almost twenty years before he finally found his author's voice. He felt he had a good story idea, but basically had to start over, because the old manuscript was woefully out of date.

Malefactor was published in August 2016 followed by the sequel, Transgressor in December 2017.

What's next? Ren Gifford Mysteries, Book Three, tentatively titled Underhanded. It's in progress now and he hopes to publish by the end of this year.